Qualmark Tourism Business Advisors come with commercial experience in hospitality, accommodation management and/or management in experiential tourism products, and undergo full training to undertake your on-site assessment.
As well as conducting the evaluation, their goal is to add value to your business.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES
Based in the Waikato, Adam has spent his career creating memorable experiences for customers in businesses in the UK and New Zealand. Adam has extensive experience in business operations, logistics and delivery, gained worked in the major events, entertainment venues and tourism sectors. His most recent role was as Chief Operating Officer at Hobbiton Movie Set. Adam brings his passion for developing resilience and long-term sustainability in businesses to each assessment he works on with his partners.
Adam also runs a successful consultancy specialising in providing clients assistance with risk, safety and business continuity in the events and attractions sectors, and is finishing his Masters in Emergency Management.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES
Andrew worked in the tourism industry in the late 1980’s and 1990’s in various sales and marketing roles overseas with Tourism New Zealand.
He later held a range of commercial roles in media with INL/Fairfax and in the infrastructure/fibre technology sector with Enable Networks.
“I am very excited to be returning full circle to the tourism industry – it offers tremendous variety, challenge and great people. I missed it and am looking forward to the Qualmark opportunity.”
Outside of Qualmark, Andrew runs his own consultancy business specialising in organisational change, achieving operational alignment and business mentoring/coaching. He is also involved in a group fitness business launching a chain of gyms in the South Island.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES
Andy has an extensive background in the tourism industry with a career spanning 30 years in New Zealand, Australia, UK, Europe and Fiji. Andy has operated a tourism training business for the past 15 years focussing on helping SME’s in the adventure tourism, transport and accommodation sectors deliver exceptional experiences.
Alongside this, he has operated a marketing business specialising in adventure tourism and resorts in Fiji. A passionate outdoorsman he has a keen interest in sustainability. Andy’s strengths are in marketing, delivering great experience and team development. Andy is a qualified health and safety auditor and holds a Grad.Dip.OHS from Massey University.
Andy’s drive is to work in partnership with license holders to deliver great customer experiences and ensure the ongoing sustainability of their operations.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES
Harald brings an international background within the hospitality and tourism industries, with roles at one of Europe’s most luxurious hotels overseeing staff training and the implementation of total quality management. Based in Palmerston North, and looking after our lower North Island partners within both the endorsements and accommodation sectors, Harald brings his passion for travel, hospitality and a drive to help operators improve their results.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES
Having spent her entire career in the New Zealand tourism industry, Heather has extensive experience having held senior roles in coaching, tour operations, car and camper van rentals, and accommodation businesses. Having worked alongside numerous accommodation and adventure activity providers across the country, and with experience of having been put through the evaluation process many times as an operator, Heather has an in-depth understanding of the key requirements for success in both large and small tourism businesses and strives to provide relevant insights to the partners she works with.
Her aim, as a Qualmark Tourism Business Advisor, is to add value to every business she works with.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES
Based in the Waitaki Valley between Oamaru and Omarama, Ian has a background in startups and business development. His experience ranges from owning a country pub and mountain biking business to being a chief executive and board chair. He has a Post Graduate Diploma of Tourism from Otago University. Ian spent two years as marketing manager for Tourism Waitaki.
Visitor activities, transport and services
Based in Queenstown, John has many years' experience in New Zealand and international tourism, including multiple stints as a nature guide, wine guide, skipper, wilderness lodge manager and staff trainer. Alongside his role with Qualmark, John also lectures part time at the Queenstown Resort College in Adventure Tourism Management.
ACCOMMODATION SPECIALIST
Based in Auckland, and looking after our North Island partners within the accommodation sector, Judith brings a wealth of experience in hotel management in the areas of human resources, learning and development, F & B, change and culture management, implementation of policies and procedures, leadership and coaching.
ACCOMMODATION SPECIALIST
Katie Green is an accommodation specialist with over 20 years’ experience in the hotel industry. Katie has held a number of key General Management positions for international hotels groups both in Australia and New Zealand. In addition, Katie has expertise with strata management apartments and working with body corporate / building management agreements.
Katie most recently managed a large portfolio of luxury holiday rental villas for New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty and has experience in delivering a luxury product to the high-net-worth luxury traveler market.
Accommodation specialist
Kevin Gough has 40 years’ experience of working across many sectors of New Zealand tourism. He has a strong career profile in tourism management, leading teams in sales and marketing, with a recent focus on commercial accommodation.
He is passionate about New Zealand tourism and a supporter of Qualmark since its inception. For the past 20 years, Kevin has been General Manager of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Golden Chain Motels and TOP 10 Holiday Parks – all Qualmark partner chains.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES
Madeleine grew up in Fiordland and after leaving home to study, work and play returned to Te Anau about 8 years ago. Her family background is in tourism and conservation with her grandparents being founders of what is now known as the Wayfare Group and instrumental in the Save Manapouri Campaign of the 1970’s. Madeleine's father worked for the Department of Conservation and her parents together established accommodation and guiding businesses in Fiordland in the 90’s.
Madeleine's professional background is in education, mental health, outdoor recreation and tourism. She has worked across a range of roles in outdoor recreation and tourism including governance, management, administration, risk management and front-line product and service delivery. More recently Madeleine was the manager of the Fiordland Regional Tourism Organisation and actively involved in marketing, business support, advocacy, crisis management, and working with local and central government and the wider national industry.
Visitor activities, transport and services
Peter’s experience comes from over 20 years in the snow sports industry, a brief stint in food and beverage, and 11 years owning and running an adventure tourism business operating under concessions and licences from DOC, NZTA and Maritime New Zealand. Peter brings first-hand insights which can really assist small to medium tourism enterprises.
ACCOMMODATION SPECIALIST
Rachel began working in senior level tourism sales and marketing roles in the early 2000s. First in a Christchurch based tourism attraction and then in the accommodation sector (based in Auckland), with Mainstay Hotels, Golden Chain Motels and Go Kiwi, and then onto a Holiday Inn as part of the InterContinental Hotel Group.
Realising her passion for communications, marketing and public relations, Rachel took up contracting with clients that included University of Auckland, MOTAT, Auckland Council, Ports of Auckland, and various private entities. She returned to Christchurch in 2019 and worked for a time in a public relations agency before resuming her own strategic communications consultancy, working with SMEs through to large government agencies, and all types in between.
Rachel has a wealth of small and large business knowledge, including the specific intricacies of accommodation, and is delighted to be using this expertise to support Qualmark members.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES
For the past 30 years, Ross has been involved in both inbound and outbound travel for multiple companies and attractions.
Ross has a genuine passion for the tourism industry and has been fortunate to travel the world talking to wholesalers and travel agents about what their customers require. Ross has held senior executive roles and managed teams through the good and bad times of tourism and is looking forward to passing on his experience to our License Holders.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES
Sam has 15 years’ experience in the hospitality, and events industries in sales, operations, and training roles. Working for hotels and IT businesses from Queenstown to Ohakune, Coromandel, Italy, and Chicago. For the past 6 years, she’s headed up the sales and operations of events and experiences for New Zealand’s largest hospitality group with a strong emphasis on partnerships and collaboration.
In between she spent 14 years in the health sector as a rehabilitation teacher and Kinesiologist while operating a business, marketing wellbeing products throughout New Zealand and Australasia. Trained in several health science practices, Sam enjoys supporting business owners, utilising her sound understanding of the resilience required for business sustainability.
Sam’s dedicated to partnering with license holders to assist them with showcasing our land, culture, and friendly hospitality. With a customer centric focus on processes, marketing, and product delivery, she brings a holistic and pragmatic approach to tourism businesses.
ACCOMMODATION SPECIALIST
Tori Anderson has extensive knowledge of star ratings systems and a strong track record in business consultancy, with a passion for coaching, mentoring and building relationships. She worked for the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa, providing star ratings assessments for accommodation and restaurants and established a star rating system at 400 hotels throughout Ethiopia where she coached and mentored staff to be hotel inspectors. Trained in the hospitality industry, Tori describes customer service as being part of her DNA.